You can warm up your season instantly by attending "Holiday
Cirque Polynesian," running through Friday, Dec. 30, at Resorts
Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.

The show features the unusual sight of Santa paired with a cast
of fire eaters, aerial artists and tropically clad dancers.

The performance is the perfect antidote for "when it's cold
outside and you think about landing on a Polynesian island
surrounded by dancers and warriors," says producer Tuffy
Nicholas.

Latest Video

If you're looking to turn up the heat a notch - and you're over
21 - you might want to check out Resorts' companion show, "Holiday
Cirque Risque," which also runs through Dec. 30.

The adults-only production features much of the same cast as its
Polynesian counterpart, including singer Robert Hatcher of
"America's Got Talent" and "American Idol" fame, but boasts a very
different vibe.

Meanwhile, "Legends in Concert," the long-running celebrity
impressionist show at Bally's Atlantic City, has added holiday
numbers to its performances through Jan. 1, as has Resorts'
"Believe: Divas in a Man's World," through Dec. 30.

"Holiday Cirque Polynesian" combines Nicholas' fondness for
things island-related - he lived and worked in Hawaii for seven
years - with his personal connection to the circus.

The Atlantic City-based Nicholas was born in Sarasota, Fla.,
where Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus used to train in
the offseason.

"My dad was the ringmaster and coined the phrase, 'Children of
all ages,' and my mom was the polar-bear trainer," he says.

But his Resorts productions are very much modern-day
cirques.

The cast includes a contortionist who performs with Cirque du
Soleil's "Zumanity" and a champion juggler from the Ukraine whose
skills range from keeping 11 hoops in the air to throwing up five
clubs while standing on a 10-foot-high pole with a soccer ball on
his head.

For the Polynesian edition, Santa arrives on a surfboard and
gives performers presents that magically transform them into cirque
performers. In "Risque," Santa's female elves show a bit more skin
- they're clad in pasties and G-strings.

But there's male eye candy, too.

"One of our Polynesian warriors has a super-buff body, and does
a bit of a burlesque number," Nicholas says.

Both shows feature live singing over tracks, supplemented by one
musician who performs 11 instruments, including electric guitar,
cello and ukulele, and a second who handles percussion, keyboards
and trumpet.

Tunes range from an Elvis-like take of "Here Comes Santa Claus"
to a French version of "The Christmas Song."

The holidays are also celebrated with productions of "Believe"
and "Legends."

The former sports new costumes for its cast of "divas," who have
added Dolly Parton's "I'll Be Home With Bells On" and Cher's "Baby
Please Come Home," among other holiday numbers, to their
repertoires.

Legends similarly has bolstered its program with seasonal
material. The show's Celine Dion will do "So This Is Christmas,"
for example, while its Aretha Franklin performs "O Holy Night" and
its Elvis warbles through "Blue Christmas."

"When people come to see a Legends show, they love to hear the
music that made these folks famous, and we blend a holiday classic
along with it," says Chris Beattie, Legends' regional general
manager. "They're getting both things they expect to see."

Cirque offers Ultra Lounge for New Year's
Eve

The cast of Resorts Atlantic City's "Holiday Cirque Polynesian"
and "Holiday Cirque Risque" will end the year on a festive note
with a burlesque-themed party on Dec. 31 on the first floor of the
Ocean Tower.

"Cirque Ultra Lounge" promises to bring a modern sensibility to
traditional burlesque made famous by Gypsy Rose Lee. The event will
feature "vignettes" performed every 30 minutes by the dancers and
specialty acts from the cirque productions.

There also will be a DJ, champagne toast at midnight and an
appearance by singer Robert Hatcher, a former competitor on
"America's Got Talent" and "American Idol."

Admission is $50 until midnight, $25 after midnight and $75 for
a reserved table, plus a one-bottle minimum.

"It's a fun party for our last day at Resorts," says Cirque
producer Tuffy Nicholas, who created the "Ultra Lounge" concept.
"It will definitely be one-of-a-kind."

Recommended for you

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language.PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated.Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything.Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person.Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.